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I Remember……

I remember coming into work that morning…… Hearing about an airplane plowing into some building….. I was still midly asleep, and in my head it was some puddle jumper, and somehow it got off course, and plowed into some building that doesn’t affect me. “Idiots… As if I care…..”

But my buddy kept telling me about this, as if it were important. “Come on, man, I DON’T CARE!”

Then, as I walked into our office, and everyone was huddled around a television, watching the second plane (NOT a puddle jumper…) crashing into the World Trade Center- my heart stopped. This was not some “idiot” who fell asleep flying his Cessna. This was – I don’t even know…..

People were crying. Afraid. We were being attacked. We were at war. We were – vulnerable….. Our safe, impenetrable home on American soil was no more….. And what am I going to do? I have a five year old and a two year old – what about them????

I remember the vigils. I remember taking Stella to the corner by our home, and standing with candles to remember and mourn for the poor vicitims of this atrocity. I remember singing at the top of my lungs, and feeling some sort of “unity” with other Americans.

I remember a country that was united, for a brief moment. I remember how it felt like the WORLD was united. Boy, how things have changed……

I wonder what this day will be like, now ten years later. Will we at all feel united? Will we put aside our differences, for just a moment? Will we again humble ourselves, and look at our brothers and sisters with different eyes?

Or will this be all about our political agenda, or maybe to make a buck on some memorial merchandise? Will the hate-mongering and fear-mongering continue? Will we ban all prayer at memorial sites? Will we Christians get our panties in a bunch over such banned prayer, forgetting that we can pray any time – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW? That we are free to do so anywhere, any time we want? That the Lord is always there when we cry out to him? That we don’t need to have some “organized event”? Are we going to be so caught up in whether or not people organize to pray on this day, that we ourselves forget to actually PRAY???

Are we going to continue to divide, and stand sutbbornly on our side, forgetting that HE is for all of us?

He is for ALL of us. He died for ALL of us. Not one is to be left behind. Not even the “radical muslim”. Not even the leftie pinko commie who is spewing progaganda about how this was some consipriacy by the government. Not even the greedy politician who is taking advantage of this for his political gain. Not even the right-wing conservative theocratic bible-thumper, who can’t see past his big judgemental nose to see those who are STILL hurting, ten years later, and have just a shred of compassion. Not even the people trying to build a mosque by the site of ground zero – or even those threatening to burn the koran in some sort of “rebellion against these radicals”. Not even the child who is so afraid to tell her parents she’s pregnant, that she’s willing to kill her unborn baby – or even those advising her it’s ok and right and morally responsible to do so. Not even the “christian extremist” who calls this girl a heathen and wishes her an eternity in hell…….

Not one of us is to be left behind – it’s his plan, not ours. So I certainly do not want to look at the things you or anyone does, that might be counter to what I understand as “good” and form a divisive, hateful opinion. I will speak truth – but I will speak it in love. I’m not to sit here and tell you all the things you do wrong, while I myself still have a plank in my eye. I’m to LOVE you, and if you don’t know Christ, hopefully reflect him, ever so slightly in my life so you can see that HE loves you and desires nothing more for you than life eternal, freedom, JOY!! I’m not here to point out your flaws – I’m here to point you to HIM….

I’m to look at you through God’s eyes – to see you as he sees you, as his child. I’m certainly not perfect at this, but I strive to do so, and I strive to love as He loves.

Today especially, I pray we forget those things that have divided us, and instead remember those things that united us. Sure, we were scared. Sure, we were confused. Sure, we responded emotionally. But for the most part, we responded with kindness, gentleness and love. We put our agendas aside for a moment and put our fellow man’s needs before our own. I pray we do just THAT, even now……